


How To Remember The Best

by 4Jean_Drake7



Series: The Crank Palace [6]
Category: The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types, The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Brother-Sister Relationships, Cute Kids, Depressed Thomas (Maze Runner), F/F, Family Feels, Feels, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Light Angst, M/M, Memories, Memory Loss, Memory Return, Newt & Sonya | Elizabeth "Lizzy" are Siblings (Maze Runner), Newt Lives (Maze Runner), Newt-centric (Maze Runner), Recovered Memories, Safe Haven (Maze Runner), Time Skips, WICKED | WCKD is Not Good
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-22 17:35:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30042312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/4Jean_Drake7/pseuds/4Jean_Drake7
Summary: Disclaimer: Part 6 of my How To... series. Please read The Crank Palace (written by James Dashner) and my other 5 parts before reading this one.It's been a week since Thomas's incident, and things have been rough for the duo.But then again, when hasn't life thrown challenging obstacles in their path?As Newt starts recovering mentally from the Flare, his old life forms together. Questions continue to grow, and he has to seek out his sister for her advice.Or is it the other way around?
Relationships: Harriet/Sonya | Elizabeth "Lizzy" (Maze Runner), Newt & Sonya | Elizabeth "Lizzy" (Maze Runner), Newt/Thomas (Maze Runner)
Series: The Crank Palace [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2092518
Comments: 8
Kudos: 10





	How To Remember The Best

**Author's Note:**

  * For [valfromrome](https://archiveofourown.org/users/valfromrome/gifts), [devilstongueknot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/devilstongueknot/gifts), [newtmas_solangelo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/newtmas_solangelo/gifts).



> Finally.
> 
> FINALLY.
> 
> Dante, Jackie, and Keisha have their own official A03 tags!
> 
> I feel like a proud mother! :'D
> 
> My depression is not gone, nor has it gotten better or worse. I just felt like giving you guys something, so here it is. I hope you like it.
> 
> Warning:
> 
> An absurd amount of fluff with very little angst. You guys deserve it :)

A small breeze blew past, causing the strands of his hair to brush across his face, begging to be carried away by the merciless wind. 

As the days passed on, nighttime got colder. The winds grew stronger, and the sun seemed to be getting slightly smaller than usual. It slightly bothered him.

"There you are." A voice emerged from behind him, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "Thomas has been looking everywhere for you, you shank."

Minho. Newt sighed in defeat and turned his head to face the Asian. "Just needed some time to myself 's all."

"Well I hate to break it to you, but you might need to get used to not having alone time. Thomas is always so freaked if you aren't even in his sight of vision." Minho admitted, a humorous expression crossing his face.

"I can't say I blame him." Newt claimed, moving over slightly on the bench as Minho sat down. "He's had to deal with my death and my resurrection after watching me slowly turn into a Crank, only getting to see glimpses of it all. I can't imagine how hard it's been for him."

"As your best friend, who saw him go through all of that first hand, I can say it took quite the toll on him. But that doesn't mean you don't get a say in your own life, Newt. If you need time to yourself, you should just tell him. I'm sure he'll understand."

"Yeah, but-"

"No buts. Newt, if you need space, all you have to do is tell him. Thomas would give you the entire universe if you asked him for it. He'll do anything to make you happy."

His heart stopped beating and leapt into his throat, clogging his vocal chords and preventing him from responding to that statement. 

Maybe it was the way Minho said it so simply, as if it were a fact, or maybe it was the way Newt knew that Thomas would. It could even be possible it's the knowledge that Newt would do the same for Thomas. Whatever the reason, Newt couldn't help but fall in love with Thomas all over again. He really was his world.

"I know. But I want him to be happy, too."

"He'll be happy if he knows you're happy. That I can promise you." Minho stated, clamping his hand on Newt's shoulder before getting off the bench and walking towards their campsite. 

The words of encouragement and reasoning kept Newt glued to the pieces of wood. He never thought of it that way. One of his goals had always been to sacrifice everything to make sure Thomas lived. That was his main goal, and he did everything he could to make sure he achieved it. 

But listening to those words made him think otherwise. Considering the way people looked at Thomas with astonishment, the way the Immunes talked to each other about him, about his progress ever since Newt returned, caused his thoughts to stir.

Maybe he wasn't the only one that died that night. 

Newt let himself believe that it was possible Thomas died that night as well. Even if just a small bit of him. Ever since Thomas pulled the trigger to the gun pointed at Newt's head, Thomas had become an empty shell of himself. It was an easy piece to put together to solve the complicated puzzle, considering Minho had told him that a few days after he found himself in the Safe Haven. 

But once he connected the piece, he stared back at all the other pieces that needed to be placed together. Sharp and violent edges were meant to collide in some places, while others had smooth curves, delicately carved by a talented artists' hands. 

Another gust of harsh wind burst the safe comfort of Newt's bubble, bringing him out of his thoughts. They swirled in a storm, creating the shapes of a fire with bright embers and unforgiving heat. It burned in the back of his skull, begging the attention over other concepts. 

The blond retreated from the bench and made his way towards the campsite, ignoring the intensity coming from the back of his mind. Instead he let memories sweep away his thinking, calming the agitation from behind. 

Faint and blurred faces pushed their way to the front of his head, along with some more clear pictures he had recently received from past dreams. He let the picture of what his mother used to look like click itself together as he trudged forwards, pulling his jacket to his skin to preserve warmth for his shivering body.

She had sharp features. A diamond shaped head with high cheekbones, dusted with a light pink. Her skin was soft, giving an earthly glow, almost like Thomas's. Long red hair trailed to her waist, cut rather jaggedly. But it suits her. Especially the waves of her hair, that made it look natural. Her brown eyes had a gleam of what looked like hazel, and her lips were heart shaped, nicked slightly just above the right side of her mouth.

And her smile. He wished she were here so he could see it first hand. 

Her smile looked so beautiful, so alluring that she could bring anyone to their knees as they thanked the skies for bringing an angel upon the world in their time. Newt smiled faintly at the memory of what her smile looked like, stepping over a twisted branch as he neared his destination. 

And then another face appeared out of thin air, laying it right on top of the glamorous picture of his mother. 

This girl was different. Her hair was darker than his, leaning towards the color of dirt than sand or fire. She had a more rounded face like his own, and her eyes were undoubtedly hazel. Her lips were almost an exact replica of his mother's, and there was something about her that just screamed at him.

Newt studied the picture harder as he walked into the Safe Haven's official limits. The girl looked so familiar, yet so different. He couldn't place his finger on it.

_ "Don't worry, big brother. Everything's going to be alright." _

All of the air in his lungs vanished as her voice echoed in his head. He stopped his movements and watched silently as everyone chatted with each other, smiling and laughing while eating their meal. 

He found her in the crowd after a moment of scanning.

Her skin didn't look as pale as he remembered, but it was most definitely her. She had the same intense hazel eyes, that long brown hair put into a plait braid that curled over one shoulder innocently, and that smile that could make anyone happy just looking at it.

Newt couldn't breathe when she met his gaze. She looked just as shocked.

The pair stood there for a moment, stunned into silence.

Until her dying grin beamed as it stretched across her entire face.

He could only watch as she left Harriet's side, making her way through the crowd by using very complicated footwork to pass by. Newt felt a grin growing on his own face the nearer she got to him.

When she reached him, she nearly tackled him to the ground. The only thing that prevented him from collapsing was the time he used to prepare for whatever hug she was willing to give him. Tears threatened to flood.

"We made it, big brother." Newt heard her whisper into his ear as her grip tightened. That was when the silvery water droplets trailed themselves down his cheeks, happiness and glee filling his insides.

"Lizzy." The blond gasped out, causing the younger girl to chuckle into his shoulder.

"I told you everything would be alright." She said, grasping tighter at his jacket, as if she didn't believe that her own brother was standing in front of her.

"I missed you so much. Or at least I would've, if I remembered you." Newt explained, letting her tilt them side to side.

"The same could be said from me." Sonya beamed, finally pulling away from the hug. Newt watched as she wiped away her own tears and sniffled. 

"When did you get your memories back?"

"Two nights ago. I was waiting for you to remember before I pursued you." Lizzy mumbled, looking down at her hands that twiddled with a piece of string. There was a small pause, and then she continued, looking back up at him with a cheeky grin plastered on her face. "Besides, you and your boyfriend needed to catch up."

Newt snarled at the comment, which only made Sonya laugh. "You could've told me anyways."

"Nah, waiting was the better option. Besides, it would be kinda awkward if I just walked up to you and said 'hi, I'm your cooler, slightly younger sister Sonya that's hella badass and misses you a ton. Hug me?'"

It was Newt's turn to laugh. 

"Even if I remembered you then, I would've looked at you like you were a psycho."

"Well you aren't looking at me like that now." Sonya pointed out. 

Newt smiled fondly at his younger sister. 

"You're right. You always are."

* * *

_ Thomas was holding a book in his hands.  _

_ He had found it when he went with some of the scavengers and went on a hunt around the area to see if WICKED had actually been taken down or not. On their way they had found many old and collapsed buildings, a few of them still standing. _

_ What had caught his attention was the library. While the walls looked white washed with dirt and sand covering random spots, the inside was rather a marvelous sight.  _

_ It had oak floorboards, looking as if they had been polished in the past many times. There were shelves upon shelves of books. From the entrance he could see a few bookshelves that had been toppled over, books scattered across the floor, some with bent pages and others with muddy footprints on them. _

_ As he traveled deeper into the library, he found himself in a trance, scanning each and every name and title of the books. It didn't seem like there was much of a system as to how the books were organised, as seeing he found a section of children's books stacked right next to a horror book that was probably meant for adults. _

_ Thomas let his fingers graze over the paperbacks and hardcovers, allowing them to trail behind and map out the length of each book through the touch of his fingers. It was mesmerizing to him, and he felt a sense of calm surround him as he walked around the library. _

_ He stopped at a book when his eyes crossed path with the name "Isaac Newton". His footsteps stopped, allowing silence to fill the air as he stared at the name. He felt a tug at his heart strings, but couldn't bring himself to look away from the name.  _

_ A moment had passed. And then another moment. And then a few more, before Thomas felt the urge to grab hold of the book tingling in his fingertips. Thomas allowed himself this one moment.  _

_ He flipped open to a random page, scanning over the words absentmindedly, seeing if he could scrounge up some information on the person named "Isaac Newton". _

'Between 1665 and 1667, Newton returned home from Trinity College to pursue his private study, as school was closed due to the Great Plague. Legend has it that, at this time, Newton experienced his famous inspiration of gravity with the falling apple. According to this common myth, Newton was sitting under an apple tree when a fruit fell and hit him on the head, inspiring him to suddenly come up with the theory of gravity. 

While there is no evidence that the apple actually hit Newton on the head, he did see an apple fall from a tree, leading him to wonder why it fell straight down and not at an angle. Consequently, he began exploring the theories of motion and gravity.

It was during this 18-month hiatus as a student that Newton conceived many of his most important insights—including the method of infinitesimal calculus, the-'

_ Thomas shut the book closed in frustration at the words. 'the falling apple' had caught his attention, bringing back painful memories of Newt's last moments. _

_ He had looked so... _

_ So ready.  _

_ It pained Thomas in a way he would have never imagined. _

_ The sound of a gunshot rang in Thomas's ears, and instinctively he went to clamp his hands over his ears, dropping the book in the process of it all. Tears spread to the corners of his brown eyes as he tried to block out the noise in his mind. _

_ A storm brewed inside of his mind, swirling thoughts covering every inch of his head, letting them circle in a cycle, one memory leading to another, both either equally as painful or moreso. Thomas gripped his ears, nails digging into the flesh of the sensitive skin, relishing in the pain. _

_ The pain kept him somewhat in reality, he had found. A small cut, a small bruise, a stab to the shoulder, it all grounded him to the real world, where he knows he should be. But he also knows his heart yearns to be somewhere else, with someone else. _

_ That same piece tears itself apart, knowing that it can't have what it wants. _

_ He hadn't even registered that he had been screaming and crying until a full force of wind knocked into him. _

_ Everything stopped in an instant. Thomas couldn't hear those painful words being said in his favorite voice, couldn't hear the heart shattering sound of a gunshot. He stopped screaming and opened his eyes while lowering his hands from his ears. _

_ Minho. _

_ He looked at Thomas warily, confusion and worry clear in his eyes as he scanned the brunette. Thomas felt a lump form in his throat. _

_ He still hasn't told Minho what he did to Newt. _

_ Thomas knew he would have to tell the raven haired boy eventually, but he just couldn't admit it to even himself at the moment. The traumatic experience still plagued not only when he fell asleep at night, but also while he was awake during the day.  _

_ "Thomas, are you okay?" Minho asked, concern flooding his voice, filling the silence between them. _

_ The brunette stared at the other for a moment, letting reality sink into his soul, before pulling himself together to manage a small nod to pair with a tiny smile. _

_ "Yep. All good here." Thomas replied, his voice hoarse.  _

_ Guilt clutched at his chest as Minho hesitantly walked away, looking back at Thomas every few steps towards the double doors that led to the world. _

_ It pained him to no end to keep the secret from Minho, but he knew that right now just wasn't the right time. And maybe it never will be, but Thomas is okay with that. _

_ The blood on his hands was still too fresh. _

_ And part of him thinks it always will be. _

* * *

He doesn't remember ever being this happy.

There may be a time in his life where he was just as happy as this, but out of all the memories that have returned, he couldn't remember feeling this carefree. 

Newt was huddled under a tree, providing him shade from the blazing sun. The tree cast down a long shadow full of detail, giving every leaf a chance to blend in with everything else. In his arms he carried his youngest child, who was only a few months old.

While sometimes she was a reminder that people could still die, even in the Safe Haven, her presence comforted him. She was a small reminder of all the good he's done in his life. 

"Dad! Dad! Dad, come play with me!" A voice called out, piercing the silence on the beach. Newt looked up to his son and smiled warmly at the sight.

Thomas was standing in the waves, holding the hands of their middle child as she tried to face her fear of the large waves that billowed across the ocean. Standing at a distance away was their oldest, who had light brown hair and dark blue eyes, wearing just his shorts and holding a twig in his hands.

"Hold on for a second, Brandon!" Thomas called out, a wide grin adorning his face as he looked out to their oldest, before bringing his attention on their first daughter, who started screaming as soon as the salty water touched her toes. 

Newt couldn't decipher the comforting words Thomas was probably speaking to her as he ushered her to the edge once again, never once letting go of her tiny hands. He turned to Brandon, who was only looking at the duo with a sparkle in his eyes with a matching content smile on his face.

It was at that moment that their youngest daughter, Alina, began to stir from her slumber, giving soft sobs as she gained consciousness. Newt smiled down at her, waiting for her to open her eyes and show him the beautiful sight of a glimmering blue eye, and a deep hazel to contrast against it's pair. 

He always loved the sight of those two colors. It reminded him of the contrasting ways of the world, how even though there was good and bad, both came together in the end to make something wonderful. 

The blond looked up again when he heard a splash, and saw Brandon with his head sticking out of the water farther beyond, Thomas not far away from him. Tegan sat in the sand, using a twig she found to draw circles and random lines in the tiny grits of the yellow substance. 

Another wave of joy washed over Newt as he scanned his surroundings, finding bliss in the moment. 

Suddenly the world felt right again.

No more worries.

No more troubles.

Just him and his family, being happy together.

Newt had never felt at such peace.

**Author's Note:**

> In case you guys haven't noticed, I gift my fics to the people willing to spend their time and energy into reading my writing! You guys are the best! <3
> 
> Unfortunately, this is where my path ends with writing this story.
> 
> It was a lot of fun! I've written a lot of fanfics in under a year, and out of all the ones I've written, this is most definitely one of my top 3 favorites to write. 
> 
> I'm not done with writing things for my Crank Palace series, as seeing I hope to rewrite some of JD's chapters to make, of course, Newtmas. 
> 
> May those two find each other somewhere. They deserve each other *blows nose into tissue* 
> 
> And I'm gonna be honest. I'm very sad to end my How To series so quickly, but I felt like it was time. After all, there's 6 parts to it, each part at least 3,000 words long (except for part 5).
> 
> But if I don't stop now, I might never stop? I love this pairing so much, and it pains me to have to end things like this. 
> 
> I can say, however, that I very much enjoyed writing this, and hearing your feedback. Every comment you guys send my way makes my day better. I love to interact with people on the internet.
> 
> That's all I have to say for now. You guys are welcome to comment on my stories any time if you're bored!
> 
> I hope that if you guys enjoyed this story you might check out my Maze Runner One Shots, or any of my other stories. 
> 
> Keep a lookout for new parts to my Crank Palace series!
> 
> Jean out :P


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